Balloon Back Chair in Carved Teak - Ebony Frame with Striped Silk

A show-wood chair has a rule that upholstered chairs do not: everything is visible, so everything has to be finished.

On a fully upholstered chair the frame is a skeleton. Nobody sees the outer face of the back, so it is left rough-sawn, unfinished and often not even planed - there is no reason to work it, because cloth is going over it.

Here the frame is the design. The balloon is exposed on both faces, which means the carving on its outer edge has to be cut with the same care as the inner one, the mouldings have to run true where the eye can compare front to back, and the ebonising has to be built up in even layers on a surface that will be seen from behind at close range.

That doubles the carving on the back frame and it changes how the chair is made. The frame is carved, finished and completely done before a single tack goes in, because once upholstery is on there is no way to reach the inner edge of the balloon again.

It also means our carvers cannot hide a mistake. On an upholstered frame a poor cut disappears under the cover. On show wood, the only fix is to start the member again.

Frame: Solid teak throughout - balloon back frame, seat rails, arms, arm supports and legs, finished as show wood on every face. No veneer over engineered board.

Construction: Continuously curved balloon back with carved crest, carved and moulded on both inner and outer faces, open scroll arms on carved supports with carved rosette terminals, carved shell and acanthus apron, cabriole legs with carved toes.

Upholstery: Shaped back panel and sprung seat in striped silk or a material of your choice, with back and seat cut to relate. We can source fabric on your behalf.

Finish: Ebonised near-black with gold-picked carving, as photographed. Any tone or gilding level can be specified.

Dimensions: Custom sizes made to order - confirmed in writing before production.

Available: Singly, in pairs or as a matched set.

Made: Handcrafted Indian luxury, produced to order by master Indian artisans.

Because this frame is show wood on every face, there is no unfinished surface anywhere for a strap or a block to bear against - so protection is applied over the whole frame rather than only where it will be seen.

An ebonised surface shows a scuff as a pale line, so the wrap laid directly against the timber is soft, lint-free and applied without tension anywhere it could burnish.

The carved crest at the top of the balloon stands highest and is guarded with a rigid cover shaped over it, and the gold-picked carving along both faces of the back frame is bridged so nothing presses into it.

Both arms project beyond the seat and take contact first through a doorway; each is sleeved along its length with additional protection at the carved rosette terminals.

The upholstery is covered in a breathable layer applied without compression so no crease is set into the silk. Each cabriole leg is padded with a rigid guard over the carved toe.

The chair then goes into a rigid outer carton braced internally. Ordered as a set, each chair is crated separately rather than stacked. Dent-free arrival is guaranteed.

Free delivery is included anywhere in India, with no distance surcharge and nothing added at the end. Metros, tier-two cities and smaller towns are served on the same terms, and a set ships on the same free terms as a single chair.

Production begins once your dimensions, fabric, carving depth and finish are confirmed in writing. The frame is carved and completely finished on both faces before upholstery begins, because the inner edge of the balloon cannot be reached afterwards - so the sequence is fixed. We give you an honest timeline and keep you updated as the chair progresses.

We dispatch through carriers experienced with carved and upholstered furniture, and send tracking details as soon as the chair leaves us.

On arrival our team brings the chair in, positions it, checks it sits firm and level on your floor and removes all packaging. Dent-free arrival is guaranteed - if anything is not right, tell us and we will resolve it.

The solid teak frame and joinery carry a 20-year warranty - the balloon back frame, the seat rails, the arms and their supports, and every leg joint.

A balloon back has no straight members and no corner joints to stiffen it, so its rigidity comes from how the curved sections are cut and jointed. Ours are cut from solid teak with the grain following each arc rather than crossing it, and jointed into the seat rails - which is what stops a balloon flexing when someone leans back into it.

The open arm supports are jointed into deep seat rails, since that joint carries the load every time someone pushes up to stand.

The teak carries a lifetime warranty against termite damage for as long as you own the chair, from the oils in the timber rather than the ebonising over them.

If anything covered needs attention, send us your order details and photographs and our artisans will handle the repair or replacement.